Emergency situations can arise in an instant causing destruction of localized communication resources and a lack of operable communication infrastructure. Systems that on a day to day basis co-exists and interoperate may suddenly face issues with infrastructure availability, lack of intercommunication between geographic regions, and a lack of crossover functionality between systems. Disasters, both man made and natural, may cause emergency resource personnel to be without coverage thus impeding rescue efforts. Even if partial infrastructure is available, the number of rescue personnel may not be sufficient to cover the disaster. Other potential emergency personnel, such as neighborhood volunteers, may have limited knowledge or no knowledge of communication systems.
The ability to get a communication system to a disaster struck area and to get the system set up and running quickly either by emergency personnel or local volunteers is highly desirable. Accordingly, there is a need for the ability to create a rapidly deployable communication system. The ability to track communication equipment under emergency conditions is also highly desirable.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.